Police seek witnesses to deadly crash on Kellogg

Police are looking for more witnesses to the Saturday crash on Kellogg that killed a 5-year-old Clearwater girl.

A pickup driven by a 25-year-old man was heading west on Kellogg shortly after 3:45 p.m. when it swerved west of Seneca, jumped the concrete median and slammed head-on into a Toyota Camry driven by a 37-year-old woman.

Counselors were made available to students, teachers and staff at Clearwater West Monday, Roth said. Parents of Amber's classmates were contacted Sunday night "to let them know, and work with them in letting their student know they lost a classmate," Roth said.

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Amber was properly secured in a child safety seat in the backseat of the Camry, Capt. Max Tenbrook said.

While police have interviewed several witnesses, Tenbrook said, they are still looking for the vehicle that caused the 1970s Chevy pickup to swerve in an attempt to avoid a collision.

"We're still trying to figure out what set of circumstances led to that happening," Tenbrook said. "It could be anything — somebody was trying to run him off the road, another driver was swerving and he was trying to get out of the way.. "

Police also are looking into whether the pickup driver was racing another vehicle in the moments before the crash, Tenbrook said.

Witnesses are asked to call the accident follow-up unit at 316-268-4131, Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111 or 911.

Anonymous tips may also be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-TIPS, via text message with "TIP217" plus their message to the number 274637 (CRIMES).

Tips can also be sent online at www.wsccs.com.

Evidence at the scene indicates the pickup rode along the top of the concrete barrier separating east- and westbound Kellogg for about 100 feet before crossing into eastbound lanes, Tenbrook said.

The woman driving the Camry saw what was unfolding, pulled over to the right and was nearly stopped before the pickup hit her car, he said.

While a second vehicle struck the Camry, Tenbrook said it was "very inadvertent" and left only a scuff mark. It may have been struck by the force of the impact driving the Camry backward, he said.

The driver of the pickup was ejected. He and the child's mother have both been released from local hospitals.

No arrests have been made in the case, Tenbrook said, but criminal charges are possible depending on the circumstances that led to the crash.

A blood sample was taken from the pickup driver to see if he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the collision.

Tenbrook said this is the first time he's seen a vehicle jump the concrete median on that stretch of Kellogg and continue into the opposite lanes of traffic.

"That's why those barriers are there" — to keep that from happening, he said.

Estimates of how fast the pickup was traveling when it jumped the median have not been released.